The American Pundit

Oh. Good. Lord. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Obama exchanged gifts for one another during Brown’s trip to the United States. The Prime Minister presented Obama with “an ornamental desk pen holder made from the oak timbers of Victorian anti-slaver HMS Gannet, once named HMS President.”

Mr Obama was so delighted he has already put it in pride of place in the Oval Office on the Resolute desk which was carved from timbers of Gannet’s sister ship, HMS Resolute.

Another treasure given to the U.S. President was the framed commission for HMS Resolute, a vessel that came to symbolise Anglo-US peace when it was saved from ice packs by Americans and given to Queen Victoria.

Finally, Mr Brown gave a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert.

And what did our classy president give his British counterpart in return? 25 DVDs. I shit you not.

Gordon Brown has been given a collection of 25 classic American films on DVD as his official gift from Barack Obama.

The Prime Minister flew home from his successful trip to Washington this morning with the ’special collector’s box’ of films hidden in his luggage.

No 10 had tried to keep the present a secret, refusing to answer reporters who asked what President Obama had given to mark the reaffirmation of the special relationship.

What, did Obama run out of time and pick them up at the local Walgreens right before the meeting? Perhaps he scoured the discount bin at Walmart? Ooh, I’ve got it. He stopped at the White House gift shop on the way to the meeting.

President Amazon is embarrassing. Either his administration is totally inept at diplomacy or it was an intentional insult. Number 10 was classy enough not to bring attention to the embarrassing gift. The White House lacked enough class to give the visiting dignitary something more than a set of DVDs.

Guesses: What will Obama give Sarkozy on his first trip? A PedEgg? Perhaps a Snuggie? A set of ShamWow towels?